How Do Teams Play Under Pressure?

At this point, someone is always playing for something; if you’re a favorite, you’re trying to hone a few things before you make it to the national stage. Some may need to win out just to make it into the NCAA Tournament (Superbowl betting players will compare this to the New York Giants, who have basically played elimination games for the last six weeks). Conference tournaments are a good gauge of how teams play under pressure.

The Game Slows Down

This holds true in all sports, at all levels: once you get to the postseason, the game starts to slow down and teams start to play a little tighter on both ends of the floor. Pressure has a lot to do with it on the offensive end as players become nervous and that helps the defense keep the point totals low, so you’ll notice lower totals when it comes to conference tournaments. This is especially true in the first half of games as teams struggle to find their rhythm while trying to get the adrenaline out of their systems.

This is just a little advice to get you started down the road to NCAA basketball betting success in March.

It’s good to watch the conference tournaments because it shows what a team can do in a one-and-done situation. There are preseason tournaments as well, but players are new to the squad at that time of year, and coaches are still working on rotations. By the time you get to the conference tournaments, all those things should already be worked out. Experienced players that use price per head software will also say that conference tournaments are important because you can see which teams are playing with urgency; maybe a team has to win the tournament just to get into the dance.

Tournament play is so much different from the rigors of the regular season because it’s one loss and you’re out. In the regular season, there is always another game, but that doesn’t hold true in tournament play and the conference tourneys can give you some tips in regards to wagering on the NCAA tournament, which isn’t a major single-day even like Super Bowl betting, but it’s more of a marathon.

You’ll probably find totals of anywhere from 120 to 150 points in college hoops, and if you find a total over 150 points, take a look at how much rest a team has gotten ahead of that game (Superbowl betting players don’t have to worry about fatigue as there are two weeks between the conference championships and Super Bowl Sunday). If you see this scenario, consider taking the under when it comes to the total because the team that has minimal rest may not have the legs to keep up with their opposition, particularly in the second half of a game. Adrenaline will get them through the first half, but once that goes, a team slows down dramatically.

You have around a 60% chance of coming out on top if you take the under with totals over 150 and a team that has one or two days rest, so consult the schedule and their previous performances before making your NCAA basketball betting total picks.

Injuries/Suspensions

Experienced players that buy bookie software will tell you that injuries are arguably the largest factor when it comes to line movements. Imagine that a team is favored by five points on the road, but they lose their star player during the day; chances are, the line is going to move sharply towards the underdog, so keep your ear to the ground for any injury news.

Money Talks

The amount of money bet on one side can also affect the lines as sports betting sites are always on the lookout to balance their books. So they’ll shift the odds to entice players to bet on the side that doesn’t have money coming in.

There are a number of other factors that go into line movements, but if you can understand when the lines are going to shift and more importantly, why they’re moving, you can improve your success when it comes to college basketball betting.

Last year was the first that the Tournament used a field of 68 teams instead of 64, and the final four teams are decided by play-in games featuring four teams that will get the final seed (the No.16 seed, which will always be an underdog to those that use price per head services) for each region. There are four regions, usually decided by location and competition.

These regions will be filled out on Selection Sunday by a committee, so by Thursday of the first weekend, you’ll have four regions of 16 teams. The first weekend now features the rounds of 64 and 32 (formerly the first and second rounds), and there are upsets and thrillers all over the bracket.

The second weekend is when it really gets serious as the Sweet Sixteen and the Elite Eight will be played for the chance to go the Final Four, which has become a trademark in itself (so has March Madness).

Finally, you have Championship Monday when the national champion is decided and the nets are cut down at the end of the night. Now that you know the format, it’ll be easier to make your bracket and NCAA basketball betting picks.

Round Of 64: Formerly known as the first round, now it’s simply a 64-team round that is played over the first Thursday and Friday of the Tournament.

Round Of 32: Once you get past that, you have the Round of 32, which is played over the Saturday and Sunday of the first weekend. Thursday’s winners play on Saturday, and Friday’s winners meet on Saturday.

Sweet 16: It starts to get interesting in the Sweet 16, which gets played on Thursday and Friday of the next weekend.

Elite Eight: The action continues on Saturday and Sunday, when we get down to the final eight teams of the NCAA Tournament.

Final Four: We’re almost there; the Final Four is held on Saturday of the third weekend.

Championship Monday: The final is played at the same place as Saturday’s Final Four.

Get a feel for the round breakdown before you start making college basketball betting picks.

The first thing you have to do, of course, is decide the financial terms of the pool and that means deciding if it is going to be a pay pool, or a pool where only bragging rights are on the line. Clients of price per head bookie companies will tell you constantly how difficult it can be to round up funds, and that is something you should do well before the Tournament starts, at least a week, and you can even tell people that they won’t be able to play if they don’t pay, which could motivate them to pay up.

The scoring is also something you have to decide and what you should try to do is to reward players for making picks later in the Tournament. Everyone knows there are going to be a few upsets, especially on the first weekend of the Tournament (here’s a hint: take a 12-seed to beat a No.5) and that is fine, but the cream usually rises to the top later on and it should be the same idea with making picks as well.

If your bracket is well organized, that should leave you plenty of time to make your bracket picks, as well as a few college basketball betting wagers.

Illinois Missouri Odds – Thursday, 9:00 PM ET

The Fighting Illini (10-0) were unbeaten and ranked 19^th heading into home games against UNLV and Cornell, but they started gaining favor among those who use price per head software after they upset Gonzaga. This isn’t a star-studded team that puts up a lot of points, and they’re led in scoring by D.J. Richardson and Meyers Leonard, but the Fighting Illini are tough, just like their name says and they’ll look to slow down Mizzou.

The Tigers (10-0) were ranked eighth as they prepare to host William and Mary, and we say Illinois looks to slow Mizzou down because the Tigers like to get up and down the floor as quickly as possible and they play at the same speed at the defensive end, which can lead to a lot of points being given up, but they also force mistakes out of the opposition.

Mizzou should be the home favorites in this Big 12-Big Ten clash, and we’re sticking with the Tigers because of their pace, the fact that they’re at home and fatigue: the Tigers have one more game to play before this meeting, and they’re facing a UNLV team that has already beaten North Carolina, while the Tigers get a relative cupcake on their schedule. Mizzou is the wager for NCAA basketball betting players.

Washington Duke Odds – Saturday, 12:00 PM ET

The Huskies (4-3) have dropped three of their last four after a two-point loss to Marquette, also at Madison Square Garden in New York City, but even though they’ll be underdogs according to bookies that use price per head software, games like this will only help Washington improve. Watch out for Terrence Ross, a sophomore forward who is ready to step into the national limelight.

The No.5 Blue Devils (8-1) have played three ranked teams in their last four games, going 2-1 in those games, and the backcourt duo of Austin Rivers and Seth Curry are going to be explosive when they work out the nuances of playing together. But there are still questions about the Blue Devils’ ability to hold their own in the post, and the Plumlee brothers have to raise their game to make Duke a legitimate title contender.

Duke should be favored on a neutral site in their first meeting with Washington, but the Blue Devils have to hit the boards against a Huskies team that is sixth in the country in rebounding, and Washington is also 24^th in points scored. Beware of the spread as Washington is dangerous, but Duke should be able to come away with a SU college basketball betting victory.

Western Michigan Gonzaga Odds – Saturday, 4:00 PM ET

The Broncos (0-5) have had a couple of close encounters, but they are coming off an 80-37 loss at Purdue. Matt Stainbrook is probably the only player on the Broncos that would earn a spot on a major D-1 program, but Western Michigan managed to keep it relatively close against Temple and Colorado. You never when it comes to college hoops.

The No.19 Bulldogs (3-0) were pushed by Washington State, but that has been the closest call for a program that price per head players have to consider when it comes to the NCAA tournament. Kevin Pangos, a freshman from Newmarket, Ontario, can shoot the lights and has hit over 63% of his three-point attempts so far this season. If he continues on that run, the Bulldogs will have a star on their hands and the Canadian national team will benefit as well.

Gonzaga should be a sizable favorite at “home” in Spokane against Western Michigan in the first meeting between the two programs. The Bulldogs will be in a larger arena, which means a better crowd and the Broncos are heading west, which is always a bad sign unless you’re a top program. We’re going with Gonzaga to pull away and cover the college basketball betting spread.